Interview with the iconic Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis (Photo by Elliot Lee Hazel-Rojon)

Legend. Icon. “The Voice of Romance.” Johnny Mathis is a young 86 years old and has reached a milestone with his 66th year as a recording artist. The hit-maker will perform at the Golden Nugget in nearby Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Friday, March 4, at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets to this 21 and older show are $55-$75 and can be purchased online at goldennugget.com.

With 7 original albums on his resume, with the first coming in 1956, the Texas-born Mathis is responsible for a mountain of timeless classics including “Chances Are,” “The Twelfth of Never,” “A Certain Smile,” “Misty,” “Gina,” “What Will I Say” and “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.”

During his extensive career he has had three songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, achieved 50 Hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, and ranks as the all-time No. 6 album artist in the history of Billboard’s pop album charts.

If that wasn’t enough, Mathis also earned the moniker “The Voice of Christmas” with six Christmas albums and a plethora of holiday hits like “Sending You a Little Christmas” and “Merry Christmas.”

His 1958 record, “Johnny’s Greatest Hits,” was a first of its kind and went on to become of the most popular albums of all time after spending an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks on the Billboard Top Albums Chart. It also helped launch the long tradition of musicians releasing their own “Greatest Hits” albums.

Mathis’ latest record, “Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American,” was co-produced in 2017 by Jay Landers, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Johnny Mathis and Clive Davis. It features a matchless array of modern-day standards christened by Mathis’ intuitive delivery. Among the songs included are “Hello,” originally recorded by Adele, “Happy,” by Pharrell, the aforementioned “Hallelujah,” by Leonard Cohen, “You Raise Me Up,” by Josh Groban, “I Believe I Can Fly,” by R. Kelly, “Just the Way You Are,” by Bruno Mars, and “Run to You,” (featuring Kenny G) originally recorded by Whitney Houston.

Enjoy this exclusive interview with “The Voice of Romance,” Johnny Mathis.